US1541476A - Machine for printing on label tape - Google Patents

Description

June 9, 1925. 1,541,476

' E. F. BUSINGER MACHINE FOR PRINTING 0N LABEL TAPE Filed July 12, 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 jun 742 Sun 6 Q [.5742/ 5126 6 w I 3 Lot742 SIze 6 42 Size 6' auomdoz E. F. BUSINGER MACHINE FOR PRINTING ON LABEL TAPE Filed July 12 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented June 9, 1925.

UNITED STATE-S PATENT OFFICE.

EMIL r. nnsmenn, F nnwYonK, N. ,Y., Assisi-non TO Gr. REIS & 1330., Inc, or new YORK, n. Y., A CORPORATION on NEW YORK.

MACHINE FOR BRINTING ON LABEL TAPE.

Q Application filed luly 12 1922. Serial No. 574,382.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EMILF. Business,

a citizen of the United States, and resident ofthe city of New York, in the county and Stateof NewYork, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Machines for Printing on Label Tape, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates. to machines for 0 printing on label tape. L

*Heretofore, mach'nes for this purpose have been devised where a feed wheel is provided for feeding the tape ofindividual labels, with a suitable printing head carry- 15 mg aplur'ality of sets of type and co-operating with the feed wheel to print from the type onto the labels, the feed wheel and the printing head being geared together with ordinary spur gears in such manner that the feedwheel and printing head are continuously rotated and the tape continuously.

fed through the machine as the members rotate.

Machines of this kind may be satisfactory f for certainclassesof work Where relatively large labels are used, where close accuracy isnot required, and where the machines are.

operated by skilled mechanics or in a place where skilled mechanics are always readily available to properly readjust such machines when they get out of order, and to'inspect them frequently to detect improper adjustments before their inaccuracy in printing on the tape develops to such an extent. as to spoil the'work. But there is a large field of use for these machines in places where 7 they are operated by girls not at all familiar withsuch machines, or by unskilled labor, and where no mechanic is readily available,

40 either to properlyfadjus'tthe co-operating elements of the machine in the first instance to insure the proper registration of the type with the individuallabels so as to have the,

printing accurately aligned with the labels,

orto observe the operation of the machines to "see that this adjustment is maintained,

and to 'readjusfithe machines in the event that they get out 'of adjustment or when a machine, which necessitates readjustments.

With these machines, where the tapefeedin'g wheel is continuously rotated with the printing head, either due to improper meshing of the gears whenthe machine is new, Jor'to gradual wear of the gears, there diifer'ent kinds of labels are run through is-a certain amount of lost' motion between these two members. Thls back lash "or lin proper gearing Wlll cause lmproper reg1stration and'smearing the print on the tape, and

furthermore due to the fact'that the gears used are of the ordinary pinion type, it is difficult for an unskilled operator to understandfhowto adjust the parts so as to insure proper registration of the type with the tape.

n is the object OftlllS invention to even;

intermittent movement such for example as :1. Geneva star wheel and pin for driving the tape step by step and with a co-operating printing head carrying a single set of type which will print upon the labels once for each step by step movement of the tape. Machines built according to this invention, forthe reasons stated, have been found to be very reliable and satisfactory in opera'- tion.

The invention consists in the novel features, arrangement and combination of parts hereinafter described according to the preferred embodiment of the invention, and theinvention will be more particularly pointedout in the appended claims.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will more fully appear from the fol lowingdescription taken in connection with the accompanying drawings illustrating by way of example the present preferred embodiment of the invention.

Referring to the drawings- Fig. 1 is a top plan view of a hand-operated machine embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same looking in the direction of the arrow on Fig.

frame member 3, a horizontal extension 4,

and an upper bracket 5.

The roll of tape 6 is carried on a reel 7 suitably mounte d onshaft 8 in anydesired iii-anner as for example by hav ng washers 9-9 frictionally pressing upon the reel by reason of spring 10, to slightly retard the rotation of the reel as the tape is pulled upon by the feeding means. In the present instance the tape is shown as consisting of a series of labels not-ched on the sides, as at 10, for feeding purposes, and intended to have the lot number printed thereon by the printing type. The. tape may pass over a suitable roller ll. the spindle 12 of which isrsecured at one end to an arm 13 firmly secured at the other end to a shaft 14 which has. the following means for yieldingly pressing the,rolle r against the tape. This, means consists of a coiled spring 15 having one.

en d engaiged in a collar-16 secured to shaft 14:;and the other end secured, to the side 17 Lot a friction guide clamp 17 which is swiv-.

eled on s'aidshaft 14 as shown in Fig. 2, and thenpper member of which'carries a finger 17:". adapted to press upon the tape to hold it downio-na feed wheel 18. This spring 15 1 acts to ,press. the finger down ,upon thewheel,

and tends to hold the rollerll against the nndersurfaceof the tape. The tape passes from the roller i 1]. through said: friction guide clamp 1? and thence on to. theyfeed wheel 18 having series of properly spaced feeding pegs 19. adapted to vengage the.

notches .onfthe tape to positively and accurately feed it through the machine.

This feed wheelie mountcd on one end ct .a shaft E-ZO upon whichthe feed Wheel is angnlarly adjustably secured, in any suitable manner suchas by a set screw not shown, but. which; is in all-respects similar toother set screws hereinafter mentioned.

This shaft ex ends through an elongated bossQl ,forinecl on the upright frame 3,. and at t-he other end of the shaft there is mounted a spider or dish 22 to which ,is secured a Genera star wheel 23. Thespideror disk is secured to.the shaft by a set ,screw 23,

sothat thcspider. is angniarlyuadjustable aboutthe shaft in :the same-manner that the feed wheel is angnlarly adjustable about the other end. of the shaft, he star wheel. is

j secured to ,thisspider in any suitable manner as for example by means of a plurality ;of screws 24 passing.through the star wheel and threaded intothe spide m p The yertic-azl bracket 5 of thefran'ac is provided with airelong'ated horizontal boss 25' in which is journaled a drive shaft- 26 Flying directly over and parallel with drive shaft;

20. Thisdrive shaft is p-rovidedjat one end directly ever the feed wheel with a printing head. 27 singularly adjustably mounted on the shaft and adapted to be held in adjusted pesit-ion by. means such as the .set screw 28. The printing head has a .slot 29 adapted to receive the type to be printedfrom, andthis t vpe' is. adjusted in theslot meansof a out and putting suitable blanks if necessary behind the first type, the type may be adjusted longitudinally in the printing head. The collar 31 is in turn adj ustably secured to the shaft as by set screw 32; and. if desired it may beinterlocked with the printing head to move around the shaft with the printing head as onepiece.

Qn theop-posite .end of the driveshaft 26 is mounted a disk 33.. carrying a pin 34 adapted to coTo-perate with, and drivethe star wheel 2-3. This diskinay-be fixedly keyed to the shaft and atthe outer. end vof the diskasuitable crank handle 35 may be mounted to rotate shaft 26.-.

At the left-hand end of the machine a suitable spring finger 36 isprovided to press;

also carriesan inking;

in a slot A0 in the horizontal .arm .of this.

bracket, so,that the roller is adjustableinv the.. slot. 'Thisbracket 5 asa whole isadjustablc about anarc in the vertical frame concentric to the a-Xis'of. shaftQO. is .accomplishediby means 0f..-a bolt 41 (see Fig. 2) passing through the lower end vof the bracketiaand extending into aslot 42 in the formof an arc concentric to the shaft 20, .andthis bolt .41 isclamped in.p0siti0n by a nut 43. In thisway the printing head,- inking roller and star wheelpin may be. adjusted anguiarly withzrespect .to the feed. wheel and the star-wheel in the settingiupr of the machine.

Inj theadjustment of the machine it is necessary to so. adjust the. parts that the type in the printing head will. lie against and normal to thetapeion the line of the label:

on vwhich'the type is to be printed, at the time that the driving pinisat the bottom: ofaslot in, the star wheel, so as to insure the proper synchronous movement of the.

tape; with the printinghead duringthe interyalof the. rotation of the printing head: that the hrinting is taking place. For ex-;

ample, i f; the labels say are an inch long,.the label tape. wheel must be moved oneiinch foreachrotation of thetprinting head, and. thatmovement of one inch for the. tape and. hence thatimovement .0f.;oneinch for the periphery oftheffeed wheel must'be. syn-- chronous with the rotationvof the printinghead and must be so timed that the type willengage the labels on the proper line. 1 r

I iVith the apparatusshown it isonly neces.-. sary to line up the slot 29 for the type with the starwheelpinfit, and-to then so, adjust the star wheel. on its spider as to bring the This . against the same normal thereto.

proper part of the label in contact with the type when the type reaches the tape andlies The use of the single set of type enables the operator to concentrate his attention on the maintenance of only that one set of type in proper registration, and the step by step movement provided avoids the difficulties encountered by back lash and the wear of the gear, as is experienced in the continuously rotating printing machines. Not only is the mechanism thus simple to adjust and maintain in proper operation, but due to lack of back lash, etc, smearing of the print on the tape is avoided and neat clean-cut printing obtained.

While I have described my invention in detail in its present preferred embodiment, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art, after understanding my invention, that various changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit 1 or scope thereof, and I aim in the appended claims to cover all such modifications andk changes.

Having thus described my invention, What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. In a machine for printing on label tape, the combination of means for engaging the tape to positively feed it, a Geneva stop movement including a pin and a star Wheel for driving'the tape-feeding means to move the tape step by step, a rotary printing head co-operating with the tape and feeding means to print on the tape as it is moved step by step, and means for rotating the printing head synchronously with the pin, said printing head, star wheel and feeding means being relatively adjustable so that the parts can be so adjusted that the type will engage the tape and lie normal thereto when the pin is at the bottom of a slot in the star wheel:

2. In a machine for printing on label tape, the combination of a feed wheel for the tape, a driving shaft for the feed wheel, a Geneva stop star Wheel for driving said shaft and wheel step by step; to feed the tape step by step, a printing headcarrying a single set of type to print upon the tape at each step by step movement, a pin for driving the star wheel, and a drive shaft for rotatingthe pin and printing head synchronously, said pin and star Wheel and said feed wheel and printing head being so adjustable that the type will engage the tape and lie normal thereto when the pinis at the bottom of a slot in the star wheel. 3. In a machine for printing on label tape, the combination of a feed Wheel for the tape having means for engaging the tape to feed it positively, a drive shaft on Which the wheel is mounted, a Geneva star wheel angularly adjustably mounted on the shaft for driving the shaft and wheel'step by step, a second drive shaft, a pin for the star wheel mounted on said second shaft to be rotated thereby, a printing head on said last drive shaft adapted'to be rotated synchronously With the pin and carrying a single setof type co-operating with the feed- Wheel to print on the tape at each step by step movement. 4:. In a machine for printing on label tape, the combination of a feed wheel for i the tape having means for engaging the tape to feed it positively, a drive shaft on which the wheel is mounted, a Geneva star Wheel angularly adjustably mounted on the shaft for driving the same step by step, a second drive shaft parallel With the first, a pin for driving the star wheel mounted on said sec- 7 0nd drive shaft to be rotated thereby, and

a printing head also mounted on said second drive shaft and angularly adjustable with respect thereto so as to be adjusted with respect to said pin.

In testimony whereof I name to this specification.

EMIL F. BUSINGER.

have signed my

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